Sultan Abu Bakar Royal Palace Museum

Once the royal estate of the Sultan of Johor, this stately palace was converted into a museum so that the artifacts collected by the royal family could be made available to the public. Pretty thoughtful, right? From vast treasures and works of art to cultural oddities like silverware and weaponry (the most intriguing of which may be the fighter plane and helicopter in the yard), this is probably the best reckoning of Malaysian culture in all of Johor. Luckily for us discerning world travelers, the museum (which is located downtown near the Johor Strait) has been reopened after extensive renovations. Check it out.